Eyes on Me
by heartlandiansoisle
Summary: Warnings: Some disturbing elements (obviously, since it's about stalking). A/N: I wrote this after season 9, so keeping that in mind, I didn't know what was going to happen in season 10, which is why I was kind of vague about some things - but the story's point is still the same and I didn't want to edit it too much.
1. Chapter 1

It started out innocently enough; he came to Maggie's every day to have a cup of coffee and enjoy a slice of pie. He was friendly, very polite and always left a tip. Whenever I had not been at work the day before, he said he had missed me and kept telling me how I was his favorite waitress. At first I was flattered, but after a while it started to make me feel uncomfortable because I didn't understand why he always had to make sure I'd hear it.

Like I said, it all felt so innocent… until I realized something just wasn't right with him.

It was Friday night and I was just about to close the diner when he stepped in. I was calculating the cash when the bell on the door chimed.

"Sorry, we are closed", I said, not bothering to look who it was. I put the cash back to the machine and then checked over my shoulder if the customer had already found their way out.

But he was there, sitting on one of the stools and creasing his worn-out cap between his bloated fingers. He looked around, like he was unsure where everyone else was. At that moment I began to wonder if he was having something wrong with his hearing or maybe some kind of storage disease, but later I realized he could hear me loud and clear and could remember everything all too well.

It was just that he was didn't care as he was obsessed.

"I'm sorry, but we are closed", I repeated and he brought his eyes on me. I figured he'd be soon on his way, but he made no attempt to leave.

"You still have some coffee left in the pot. Would be a shame to waste it. Why don't I just buy one cup?" he suggested. I mean, I agreed that it was a waste to throw the coffee away, but I had a routine and I didn't want anyone to mess it up. I wanted to be home before the kids went to bed.

"I already counted the cash, it's going to be mix up my calculations to–" I started talking, trying to find my way out, but he was already counting his coins that he had pulled out from his pocket.

"How much is it?" he asked.

I sighed, but figured he would not leave until he'd get his coffee.

"1.25."

"Okay… here you go", he said as he handed me the exact change. I took it and set it aside. I would put it to the cash register tomorrow. I flipped a clean cup under the counter and walked over the pot. When I was pouring him a cup, I could feel his eyes on me. I don't know if he really was staring at me or was I just imagining it.

Looking back, maybe I wasn't.

"Here you go", I said as I put the cup on the counter and grabbed myself a kitchen cloth. He smiled as a thanks, and I started cleaning the tables.

It was quiet in the diner and I always kind of liked that after a busy day. It felt like "my time" between the job and the home where I could just breathe and unwind a little. But now, I was constantly interrupted by this guy.

"Any plans to write another book?" he asked out of the blue.

I turned around as if to wonder where this was coming from all of a sudden. When he saw my puzzled expression, he nodded toward the another counter at the tack section where we had few copies of my book, "Mom's The Word".

"Oh, I don't know", I chatted, "haven't really found time to write."

"Well, can't be easy, you being a single mom and everything", he said. He probably wanted to appear sympathetic, but for some reason it rubbed me the wrong way.

"Yeah…" was all I said, not really feeling comfortable talking about this to him. It was true, I had been busy with the kids but it was nothing new since I had basically been a single mom for years now it felt even though Peter and I had only made the divorce official some time ago.

"That Peter guy could step up once in a while and offer some help, you know", he talked about him as if he would have known him.

I stopped what I was doing, wondering if the guy even realized how weird he appeared to me.

"Oh, I bought a copy", he explained when he noticed how I tried to figure him out. "It was a good book, too short, though. Good thing I found your blog. Not that you have updated that much lately."

It was then that I regretted ever even putting anything out there.

When I had started out, I had not thought about anyone reading that stuff. It had been something for me, sort of like a void to scream into to make me feel better.

But then my blog had blown up.

Of course I had realized it was on the internet, for everyone to see, but most of my followers had always been moms in the same situation and we had received support from each other. It had been great not only because I could have real, honest conversations with fellow moms, but also because my blog was somehow giving them hope; someone else was out there too, struggling with the same stuff.

But it was weird to actually meet "a fan" face to face, especially when that admirer was an over-friendly middle-aged man.

For some reason he saw my silence as an invitation for more conversation. He pulled something out of his case he always carried around, and I became alerted. I had never feared at Maggie's because Hudson was a small community with many nice people who posed no threat to each other, but that night I was scared, and it was all because of this guy.

"Hope you don't mind, but could you sign my copy?" he asked, setting my book on the table. Something about the combination of the innocence of the pink book cover and his creepy appearance was disturbing.

"Uh, I should really get these tables cleaned", I tried. Usually I was happy to sign any copy, but I began to fear it would only give him a reason to think that I was interested in being friendly with him.

"Come on, it won't take long. I will be on my way after that."

I don't know if he realized how uncomfortable he was making me or was he just trying to use my excuse against me, but whatever it was, I was happy to send him on his way.

"Okay", I finally agreed and came to him. I took a pen behind the counter and then grabbed the book, opening the first page. "Who do I address this to?"

"Joe. My name is Joe", he said, his face lighting up. It was almost as if he had waited for me to ask it for a while now. I ignored his smile and wrote: "To Joe, from Lou Fleming."

"So, you're going by the Fleming again?" he asked, acting as if we were familiar with another again.

Maybe reading my book and my blog had made him feel like me and my family were friends of his or something, but it felt weird to me. I didn't even know this guy, yet he acted as if he knew anything about me. Even though I had put a lot of my heart and soul into my writing, it was all superficial and no casual reader or follower would ever know who I really was. It required more than reading few of my entries.

"Yeah", I said and then got back to my cleaning. He sat there, and from the corner of my eye, it almost seemed to me like he was disappointed I wasn't picking up the conversation.

Eventually he put the book back to his case, got up and went to the door.

"Have a good night", he said and left.

When the bell chimed again, I slowly drifted toward the door and made sure I had really locked it this time. I sighed out of relief when I was alone again, even though I still felt like I was in an aquarium as the streets were dark and empty and I was inside the lighted diner.

I walked over the counter to clean up his mug, but pretty soon I realized he had not even touched his coffee. He had not come to the diner to have a one last cup before turning in, he had come the diner with no other intention than to see me.

As I shuddered, I took his mug, walked behind the counter and grabbed the pot to my other hand, pouring down all the coffee as if as a revenge to him for making me feel so uncomfortable.


	2. Chapter 2

Driving home, I kept checking the rear view mirror to see if anyone was following me. I blamed Joe for making me paranoid. Every time I stopped to wait for the traffic light to turn green, I tapped my steering wheel nervously, wondering if he was in the truck behind me. I had even locked the door from inside just to make sure no one was coming in. I know I was being overly cautious, but the way he had made me feel inside the diner still lingered and I couldn't stop wondering why he was so interested in me.

When the last truck behind me turned right when I left the town center, I sighed out of a relief. I put music on, hoping to ease my mind. I needed to shake him off of me before going home because I didn't want to appear strange to Georgie and Katie.

As I got back to Heartland, I started feeling better. Something about seeing the lights inside the house and the barn and knowing there were people inside made me think nothing bad could happen to me and I could only blame my wild imagination about how I had felt back in Maggie's.

After brushing teeth with her, I put Katie to bed and made sure to say goodnight to Georgie, but the day was not over for me yet. I knew I had to check my books to make sure my businesses were running smoothly and everything was okay with the Dude Ranch bookings. I went to the barn office to do some paper work before I would crawl under my cover and get some well deserved rest.

* * *

Closing the Excel file, I switched off the table light and was about to shut down my computer as well, when I had a sudden urge to check my blog. The last entry was from November last year and my visitor counter had not moved much for months now. Ever since the book tour failure, I had actively tried to forget the whole thing because I was still so embarrassed about it all.

But now, I was looking at the blog in a whole new light. I kept thinking about Joe's words and it again made my stomach turn into knots.

I clicked the editing mode of the blog and made all the entries private. Then I wrote a new blog post that simply stated "UNDER CONSTRUCTION". I didn't feel like having anything on the site, knowing someone like Joe was reading them.

When I was done, I clicked "Save" and made sure the blog was as empty as it could be. Pleased by what I was seeing, I slammed shut the laptop and sighed.

As my eyes drifted toward the doorway, I nearly had a heart attack when I noticed Mitch standing there.

"Oh my…." I gasped and put a hand over my chest to calm my racing heart. He seemed to realize he had spooked me and walked in slowly.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. I was just gonna get my tool belt", Mitch explained and walked over to it, picking it up from the floor. As I realized I was just a little bit jumpy, I was able to calm myself down pretty quickly.

"Okay. Good. Hey, speaking of your tool belt", I recalled, "have you fixed the door at the Dude Ranch? It's still squeaking, and I had a client complaining me that it gave her a migraine. We have to get that fixed soon."

"I know, I know, but I've been busy - with Amy pregnant and everything", he said, his voice already having a defensive tone in it. "I'm trying to do as much as I can, but there's only so many hours in a day, as you probably know. I'm more concerned about the cows that might be overrunning your precious Dude Ranch than I am about a door that's attached to frames making annoying noises. I'll fix the fences tomorrow and check that door later, okay?"

I could feel the tension in the air when we had our exchange.

"Fine", I said, standing up. "But I just hope that client isn't giving the Dude Ranch bad review just because you didn't fix that door."

"If you're so worried about that door, you better fix it yourself, ma'am", Mitch said, acting all grumpy. I walked over to him and held his gaze.

"I hate it when you call me ma'am. It makes me feel old", I said, staring at his lips. He had a smile on the corner of his lips and it revealed that cute little dimple of his as he pulled me closer.

"Does this mean that I won't be having a goodnight's kiss…?"

"Maybe…" I said softly, sliding my hands behind his neck. He gently jerked me closer, making me feel wanted as he brought his lips close to mine. I could feel his breath on my lips as he said:

"I'm sorry…"

"Apology accepted", I replied before we kissed. We had only started officially going out few weeks ago, but we already had this routine where we would pick up fights, get a little aroused and then kiss and make up. It was strange, but somehow it seemed to work for us.

As our lips parted, I brought my eyes back to him. He looked at me so lovingly that I had no trouble believing he was sorry, even though he had never wanted to insult me in the first place.

"Why are you making it so hard for me to leave every night…?" Mitch asked, tugging a strand of hair behind my ear. It made my heart leap and I tried to contain myself as I kept acting cool.

"Well, maybe one night you don't have to leave", I said, giving him a little hope to hold onto.

Most of my family still wasn't sure what was going on with us, they suspected we had an affair, but it was just a big elephant in the room now and no one talked about it. I liked it that way as I was still making the transition from being married to being single to be in a relationship again.

"Is that a promise…?" he asked, seemingly pleased.

"If you keep yourself checked", I said, gently pulling away, letting him know tonight was not the night. He accepted it, but seemed like some part of him was still bummed.

Mitch wiped his lips with the side of his thumb, a cheeky expression on his face, and started backing toward the door.

"I'll try my best…" he said, making sure he held my gaze as he said; "Ma'am."

He grinned like a rascal that he was and turned around using his boot's heels. I could have thrown something soft after him, but I think he already knew that I was "playfully" mad at him for saying that.

I checked that everything was in its place at the barn office and left quickly after him. When I shut the door behind me, I could see his truck disappearing into the dimness of the night. Everything felt better than it had in the town and I wondered if I could arrange myself a day off tomorrow. I didn't feel like going to work, especially if Joe was going to be there.


	3. Chapter 3

A day off was exactly what I needed, and the girls liked it as well because it meant we were able to have two days together instead of one that I had originally planned to have. On Monday, I returned to Maggie's, realizing I had not thought about Joe for a while now. But as soon as I stepped inside and greeted our waitress Mara, the memory of him came back to me.

It was time to return back to reality.

"How was your weekend?" she asked happily after serving two customers. I sneaked in, looking around to see if my "biggest fan" was around, but when I didn't see him anywhere, I was able to relax for a bit.

"It was great. Me and the girls went to a fair and on a trail ride. It was exactly what I needed", I told her, smiling widely. "How have things been here?"

"Everything's great, even though we had little emergencies. The ice machine broke, but we had a guy to fix it, and it's working again. Ray's sick, but Cathy is covering him, so we are not without a chef. So, there's nothing for you to worry about", she said, pulling her notebook from her apron's pocket. She placed an order for the kitchen and then turned back to me.

"Great. Just what I wanted to hear", I said, putting my purse behind the counter. "If you need me, I will be in the back of the shop, doing the inventory."

"Okay", Mara replied. Before I could even take a step back, she stopped me. "Oh, before you go, there was this guy; he was asking about you."

"What guy...?" I asked, already fearing the worst.

"Young fellow, maybe in his early twenties. He wanted to know if we'd have any jobs available", Mara told me, and I sighed out of a relief. There was no way that could have been Joe. "I took down his phone number and name if you wanna give him a call later."

"Yeah, sure. Thanks, Mara", I said to her and walked to the back. It seemed like this week was off to a good start, and I felt my confidence rushing back again.

It wasn't until I had a break and had a time to sit down and browse through news and my social media feed that the day took a turn to worse. Someone had sent me a friend request on Facebook, which I didn't think too much of, until their name was blasted on my phone screen.

Joe Sutter.

Panicking, I pressed the button to close the browser and put the phone away, almost as if I was scared he'd jump out of it if I kept it in my hand any longer. I stared the phone in shock, disgusted how he was trying new ways to slither into my life. He had no shame or understanding how creepy this all was.

When I felt someone putting hands all over my eyes from behind, I jumped. I brushed them away quickly, getting up from my chair.

I saw my dad, looking almost as shocked as I did. "Lou...?" he said and looked worried. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just..." I said, starting to look around as if to see if Joe was here, watching me and waiting for me to accept his friend request.

But he was probably not that technologically advanced that he would have a smart phone on him, I tried to tell myself.

"I just... I'm sorry", I continued, shaking my head as I tried to shake Joe away. "You surprised me."

"Well, you looked like you were lost in thought, so I couldn't resist. Remember when I used to do that to you when you were little and then you'd have to guess who I was?" dad asked, smiling nostalgically.

"Uh... No, not really", I said, distracted and wondering what we were even talking about. My mind was still on Joe. He might have not been here, but he still had some kind of power over me, making me feel sick to my stomach.

I felt like I couldn't really explain it to anyone without sounding like a crazy person. Like somehow I would not do his silent terror justice.

"Am I still picking Katie from the kindergarten?" dad asked then, probably seeing how I wasn't really in the mood to joke around. He didn't ask anything, but I bet he noticed I needed something else to focus on, something as important as Katie.

"Actually... I'm not feeling too well", I said, collecting my dishes and cleaning the table I had been using. "I might just go pick her myself."

"Are you sure? I mean, if you're not feeling well... I'd like to help", he continued.

"I appreciate it, dad, but it's not necessary. Thanks anyway. I'll see you around", I said, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before leaving.

* * *

I went to pick Katie from the kindergarten, but instead of getting a happy greeting I had longed for, I was welcomed by a grumpy daughter. She was not pleased that I was there to get her this early as she was still in the middle of things with her friends.

I gave her a little more time to finish the play and meanwhile I got caught up with her teacher. She told me how Katie had been doing and how adorable little girl she was. I couldn't help but smile as I listened to her description because it fit her perfectly.

"She's been doing great considering the circumstances", I said, feeling relieved that I was finally able to talk about my divorce. People were starting to be more aware of it now, and I was finally letting go of the shame it had brought with it. Moving on had been the right decision for all of us, and I was happy to see Katie had not been too affected by it all.

"Yeah, that's what your brother said as well", the teacher replied.

"My brother...?" I checked and looked at her. "I don't have a brother, or- well, I do, but... he's not around", I corrected as we barely saw my half-brother, Shane, these days. He was in this fancy new school and based on everything dad always told about him, it sounded like he was really dedicated to get his degree.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought he was your older brother. This guy came here and wanted to take Katie with him. Of course we can't just hand the kids to anyone without knowing what's going on so we told him that. He said he understood and said he'd call you to pick her up after all", the teacher said. "I thought it was why you were here."

"When was this...?" I asked, feeling the fear creeping in.

"Maybe like fifteen minutes before you came here", the teacher said after checking her watch.

"What did he look like...? This guy..." I wanted to know even if everything in me told me not to ask questions when I already knew what answers would be.

After the teacher had given me a perfect description of Joe, I started to freak out.

"That's not my brother..." I stated, my voice shaky. "And if he ever comes here again, call the police."

"Is everything okay...? Who is he?" the teacher asked, seemingly concerned. "Not a sex offender, I hope...?"

"He's a customer of mine, he's... really obsessed with me for some reason", I confined and she looked worried. It felt good to tell someone, no matter how crazy it sounded. "He's trying to find his way into my life and it's starting to freak me out. - So you're sure he came here to ask about Katie?"

"Yes, I was the one he talked to", she said.

"Good. I might need your testimony on that", I replied and the teacher was on board. "I'm going to go and tell the police about him. Do you think Katie could stay a little while longer while I go take care of this?" I asked, feeling sick but knowing this couldn't wait any longer.

"Of course. We'll keep her safe, I promise", she assured me.

"Thank you. Thank you so much", I felt like I couldn't have said that enough.

* * *

But when the visit to the police station ended up being pointless as Joe had not threatened my life or anyone I knew, there wasn't much they could do about my situation. The police told me they'd keep his name in mind, but for now I was on my own.

I felt so helpless I just sat in my truck at some parking lot, crying for 30 minutes straight. It was like I was hunted somehow in my own safe hometown, like there was no one I could trust to keep me safe.

After I had composed myself, I called Georgie. I told her to come straight home from school and not go anywhere alone. Of course she wanted to know what was going on, but I didn't want to scare her too much, so I just told her that a police had announced there was some kind of dangerous man on the loose, and he could be hiding anywhere.

That wasn't even far from the truth - except police wasn't doing anything with him because he wasn't evidently dangerous.

But I felt it; the evil in him.

* * *

I brought Katie home with me and told everyone about this guy, just to be sure. They promised me to keep an eye out for me and from them I got the support I was hoping for. Grandpa told me he would be keeping his shotgun close at all times. He could be a little extreme, I admit, but somehow it made me love him even more. At least someone was taking me seriously.

As for dad, he said he would spread the word so no one in this town would not walk around without knowing that this Joe Sutter guy was a creep and stalking his daughter. I wasn't sure how I felt about it, because maybe it would only make things worse, but the word was out already and I could not get it back.

That night I couldn't sleep. I kept tossing and turning, imagining these horrible things the guy could do to us. I understood the police couldn't find him guilty of simply "being a creep", but I still felt like I was a victim of something.

* * *

Days went by and nothing happened. I did not heard of him, I did not see him anywhere. I didn't know if that was worse than seeing him around. Something about not knowing where he was or what we was doing made me nervous.

I told about my situation at work and they promised me they would scare him out of the diner if they ever saw him. The good thing about him being a regular was that everyone at the diner knew who he was.

As if by some kind of silent agreement, no one ever left me alone, just so he could not creep up on me when I least expected it. I didn't do any night shifts for a while because I didn't want to be the last one leaving the place at night. Maybe it was what kept him away because he couldn't get me alone.

At home, I was surrounded by my family and around them I felt at ease again. But I started to fear for the others. What if he would set his eyes on Katie again? Or Georgie? What if he found a way to hurt someone, all because of me?

I knew I shouldn't have been the one who was feeling guilty, but I couldn't get rid of that feeling. What was it in me that had made him so interested? Why had he set his eyes on me?

What had I done wrong?


	4. Chapter 4

After a while, I thought Joe had given up. It felt strange, but the whole town seemed to be on my side because they knew me through my work and knew what I had done to the community, so it was almost as if they felt obligated to protect me. I thought maybe the "mob feel" of it had scared him away.

Things were starting to get back to normal. I didn't fear for every dark shadow anymore and I was able to go shopping alone without having to be alerted at all times. I was hoping that this guy was about to become just an uncomfortable bad memory that I could leave behind.

But unfortunately, he was about to become very real to me again.

When I entered one of the cabins at the Dude Ranch on a Tuesday afternoon, the door made a squeaking sound. I sighed as I couldn't believe Mitch still had not gotten around to fix it.

I pulled out my cell phone and sent him a text that said: "DUDE RANCH. DOOR." I hoped he would get my not-so-subtle hint.

As I was thinking about his forgetfulness and pulling out the dirty sheets, I heard the floor boards of the porch creak. I didn't bother to look behind me, because I thought it was Mitch.

"Well, that was fast", I commented snarly. "Get to it, I have people coming here tomorrow morning."

But when he didn't offer me a snarky comeback, I turned around to see if anyone was even there.

And unfortunately there was; only it was not Mitch, but Joe.

It felt like I was watching a ghost as he stood there, just staring at me. There was no expression to be read on his face, which made me feel even more uneasy.

"Joe..." I said, frozen in fear. I didn't even know how to continue, but being silent didn't feel like a good option to me. It was like by creating this silence, he was gaining more power to himself.

"It's good to see you, Lou", he replied.

I couldn't blink or even do anything else as I was too scared of what he would do. He didn't show it clearly with his face or with the way he moved, but I was sure he was here to hurt me somehow as his presence was naturally alarming.

And when he closed the door behind him and left me cornered, I wanted to cry. But I knew I couldn't, because I had to fight my way out of this.

If he had done something, attacked me in some way, I could have been able to distract him, but the way he just stood there without making anything, kept me frozen. It was like I was waiting, waiting for what would happen next so I would know how to react.

"What are you doing here...?" I finally asked. I was pretty sure he would not answer, but I had to move the situation along.

"I came to see you. I think we need to talk", he stated. He didn't sound friendly anymore, not like he had once been - if anything, he seemed angry. Like there was something underneath but he kept it under the lid to seem more intimidating.

"Talk about what...?" I asked. There was nothing I wanted to talk about with him. I just wanted him gone.

"You've been spreading rumors about me..." he said, blocking my way out. I didn't know if he had any weapons on him, so I didn't know if an attack would be my best defense. "And in a small community like ours, word gets around. Because of you, I'm not allowed to go anywhere anymore because people talk. They think they know me, they think they know us. But they don't."

Us? What the hell was he on about?

"Joe... There's no us... I don't know what you think I am to you, but we are nothing but strangers to each other", I tried to reason with him even though I feared there was only a slim chance he would start to make sense now.

"What are you talking about?" he seemed genuinely surprised, the tone of his voice changing. "You're my Lou..." There was some kind of twisted softness in his voice as he said, and I felt like I wanted to change my name because of the way he claimed it. "Or Samantha Louise? Should I call you that...? I kind of like that more than Lou. It's such a beautiful name..."

He smiled now, but it felt forced.

"Just let me go... You can still walk away..." I said, even though part of me started wishing he was actually going to hurt me somehow so I could have some evidence and make the police take him away. "This doesn't have to end badly."

"Who said it would end badly?" He was clearly living in his own world, not realizing how this made me feel. "I just wanna love you, Lou... I'm not mad, just disappointed. I'll forgive you for talking, if you ask nicely."

There it was again, the way he said my name. I shivered and turned my eyes away. He didn't even touch me, but he still made me feel like he was abusing me.

"You've got it wrong. If I ever was friendly to you, it was because you were a customer and I was a waitress - nothing more", I continued, still trying to make him see the reality. He had to be pulled out from his fantasy world.

"But you got divorced for me. Now we can be together. I could be father to your children. What sweet children they are..." he said.

He could threaten me all he wanted, even though it made me extremely uncomfortable, but as soon as he started to talk about Katie and Georgie, I lost it. I grabbed a small iron pitchfork by the fireplace and let him know I was going to use it as a weapon if he took another step toward me. "Leave my kids out of this, or I'll swear to God..."

"You swear what? That you'll hurt me?" He didn't even seem scared as he said it. It was like he was sure I wasn't going to do anything to him.

"I just might."

I knew that if I was pushed far enough, I could reach the breaking point and do anything. Anything for the people I love, especially for my kids.

"Lou, that's not like you... You take care of people, that's what you do-"

"Stop saying my name! You're not allowed to call me that! You don't know me. Just because you've read my book or my blog or browsed through my internet profile, doesn't mean you know anything about me", I told him, finally letting my frustrations out.

If he had finally came out of hiding, and I could unload the feelings and thoughts the terror had left in me, I wasn't going to hold back. I could not - and would not - let him have this kind of control over my life just because he thought he was entitled to have me in his.

I wasn't anyone's to own.

"But you're wrong. If you'd only give me a chance I could show you I know you better than you know yourself", he said, stepping closer.

I stopped him by pushing the pitchfork between us and kept staring at him. "That's not gonna happen."

"I know when you were born-" he tried, but I shook my head.

"Anyone with internet would know that", I told him, knowing it was on my profile.

"Okay, yeah, fair enough", he admitted. "But I also know how you felt when Peter was away. How you struggled to be a mother for Katie and Georgie. I know what it is to be lonely..."

"Stop talking about them as if you know them! You don't know them any more than you know me. You're delusional! You have to get yourself some professional help", I said.

Even though I was angry, I also realized that this would not end unless he would get himself sorted or die - or I would die.

But I didn't want to die, I would fight like hell if I had to. And since I didn't plan to kill him, even though I wasn't about to live my life in fear, there was only one way out.

As I considered the next move, I heard the porch's floor boards creaking again and he heard them too. He turned his head toward the door, shushing me. We waited in silence.

Listening, I realized I recognized the stepping of those boots behind the door.

It was Mitch.


	5. Chapter 5

I wanted to close my eyes and pray that whatever happened, Mitch would walk out of this without a scratch. I felt guilty for sending him that text about the door even though I knew that there had been no way for me to know that this would happen, that Joe would find me and harass me again.

I considered screaming for help and quickly thought through what direction it would take this situation. I didn't know if Joe was ready to hurt me or if he would have done anything to Mitch, but I didn't want to risk it. Mitch was just a door away, clueless about what was happening inside and who this man was.

Of course I had told him about Joe, like I had told to anyone else, but it would probably take him a while to understand that this was my stalker and that we were possibly in danger before he would act and do something.

Picturing Katie and Georgie without a mother didn't feel good, but if I had to sacrifice anyone, it would be me. It had all started with me, so it would end with me too.

"Lou? You in here?" Mitch hollered, probably after seeing my truck.

"Just let him be..." I pleaded quietly.

"Who is he...?" Joe asked, keeping his voice low.

"It's just our ranch hand", I said. I was relieved not everyone knew about Mitch and me, definitely not this creep who had only been stalking me through the internet and from the distance, and I didn't want to make him jealous in case that would pull some kind of trigger in him. "He has nothing to do with this."

"Why is he here?" he asked.

Before I could reply, Mitch opened the door, but he didn't step in because he probably didn't expect me to be here since I hadn't replied anything - it seemed like he was just going to fix the door and be on his way. He focused on the squeaking sound the door made to make his diagnose, but when he spotted someone on the corner of his eye, his head turned toward us.

"Lou..." he said, surprised, watching me and then Joe. I could sense he realized something was not right, if not by anything else, then at least from the way I was squeezing the pitchfork in my hand.

I shook my head, almost in tears, hoping he would just go, but of course he wouldn't. He knew that if he would walk away, something bad would happen.

"Who are you?" he asked directly from Joe. I could tell from the way that he looked at the guy that Mitch tried to let him know that he would know if Joe was lying so he shouldn't even bother. When Joe felt like he was cornered, it seemed like he was thinking about walking away, only this time it was Mitch who was blocking the door. "Where do you think you're going? I think we-"

As he thought Mitch was distracted by his own chattiness, Joe tried to push him aside. Thankfully Mitch reacted quickly, throwing the creep on the floor. They wrestled awhile, and I was surprised how strong Joe was as it seemed like Mitch really had to fight back hard. I wanted to help, but I didn't want to hurt Mitch in the process.

It was not before I saw Joe pull out a pocket knife and piercing Mitch with it that something took over me. As he pushed Mitch on the side, leaving him gasping on the floor, and tried to stand up to escape, I ran toward Joe and shoved him against the door frame. I heard a loud thud and then watched as he collapsed on the floor.

Everything was silent for a while, and I kept staring at Joe, waiting for him to move like I had waited before. Maybe he was trying to intimidate me now too.

After a while I realized he was passed out.

"Lou..." Mitch tried to speak. His voice was hoarse and he was trying to grasp something, anything, to help him. I turned to him, letting the pitchfork drop and I knelt beside him.

"Don't talk. Just stay still", I told him, pressing his wound. The blood pushed through my fingers and stained them. I was shaking as I pulled out my cellphone and called help.

After that everything was kind of a blur.

* * *

When the police arrived, they collected Joe and asked me some questions. I was relieved to hear that this was enough for me to press charges - even though I wished none of this had ever happened in the first place and it wasn't something I would have to live with.

It would be all I would ever think about when I met a stranger who was being friendly, it would be all I would remember when someone complimented my book or added me on Facebook. I figured I would try my best to erase myself from the internet so none of this would ever happen again. The book was out there, so there was nothing I could do for the copies I had already sold, but the ones I still had would end up in a trash.

But then I got to thinking... was that just giving Joe and the likes of him more power if I would hide away? Would it be better for me to just keep on living like I had?

But... how?

Joe had broken something in me, something that would always make me second-guess everyone. Who were they really? Why would they want to talk to me? Could they be people I could trust around me or my family?

When they took Joe away, I walked over to Mitch, wondering what would have happened had he not gotten there. He had been a catalyst to set me in motion. Could I have ever been brave enough on my own had there not been someone whose life I would have valued more than my own?

"Hey..." I said as they were loading Mitch inside the ambulance. "I'm really sorry..."

"It's not your fault. Kind of pathetic of me... to serve and come back alive only to be almost killed by a some lunatic with a pocket knife", Mitch tried to joke even though he was in agony. I could have slapped his shoulder, but knowing he was already feeling enough pain, I didn't.

"Don't you dare go dying", I told him desperately.

"Yes, Ma'am..." he said, smirking. I rolled my eyes, even though I was close to tears. "I mean... I still need to fix that door."

"I'll fix that door myself", I said. "The least I can do for you for saving my life."

"Are you kidding...? You saved mine", Mitch replied.

"So we saved each other", I finally decided so we would't have to actually fight about that too. It felt like the last thing I wanted to do right now.

"Don't you worry about me, Spreadsheet", I heard Mitch say when they were loading him in. "We are still gonna have to do that sleepover. Can't die before that, can I?"

I smiled sadly as he disappeared into the ambulance.

"Are you gonna be okay?" one of the paramedics asked when I stared blankly ahead and tried to take it all in. "You didn't get hurt, did you?"

"No", I shook my head. It was only now that I realized how badly things could have ended up for me too. But I was fine, physically at least.

"Well, even if you don't have any physical injuries, you might want to think about debriefing. It can be helpful for people who have been through thing like this", she told me. "You should ask your doctor about it."

"Okay... I will", I told her. I wasn't sure what it meant exactly, but if she thought it would be good for me, then maybe it would be something I should look into.

As the paramedics got inside the ambulance and drove away, I was left alone. I was relieved to know there were no eyes on me now, but at the same time it felt like I had never been under a scoop like this before.

It was as if there was someone lurking in the shadows, watching me, controlling me by staying as faceless as possible while knowing everything about me and everything I was doing.

What had Joe done to me?

* * *

THE END.


End file.
